Oct 5 Notes by Naly: Fall Ambitions

October is here, and things are on a roll here at Les Naly.

First, if you're interested in interning for us, please send your resume to hello@lesnaly.com. We're currently looking for two interns to join us. You'll get to do a number of things like writing, editing, design, strategic social media, and marketing automation software. I remember all the internships I did in college and how much they helped form my work ethic and professionalism. My hope is to bring all of that into these two roles and provide as much education and exposure as I can to the two candidates who land the spot!

Secondly, we've been strategizing around myself, the Les Naly brand and how to integrate the two. Career sites focused on helping women are continuing to grow rapidly. It seems every single day there is a new site. In all honesty, the more information there is out there, the more it can help you. There is no denying that, and I'm of the school of thought that likes it. It's career information democracy. However, in order to bring you the very best, and a more targeted approach to our version of career advice, we've been slowing building the strategy to have more personal content in all forms from me directly.

At Les Naly, our goal is to inspire, motivate, and empower women at work and life. When I started Les Naly a year and a half ago, I wanted to build a company that was in alignment with my personal goals, ambitions and how I wanted to contribute to the world. It may sound cliche, but it's true.

I worked as Head of Marketing for a cloud hosting and data center company during the day and would come home at night to work tenaciously at making Les Naly and LNCG a success. Every time I sat around a conference table full of men, I was reminded how important my life's goal was.

The reality is... I'm a regular ole' girl. My parents were immigrants, I come from very humble beginnings, I've worked since I was 14, and yet somehow I still am where I am out of pure hard work and determination. If I can do this - I know that any woman is capable of it.

This life goal of mine, what I consider my purpose in life, didn't come overnight. There was a time when I felt truly lost and at odds with the universe. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do, or what I wanted to be. I sort of became a little of everything by working a ton of jobs. I took my time exploring and even had a number of websites that failed. After going for a couple weeks, I realized I had started because I only had surface level interest in those topics or I discovered that I didn't really love what I was doing.

Before I launched Les Naly, and LNCG, I had a fashion PR company right out of college. Yes, right out of college, I had this burning ambition to work in fashion PR. I blame it on Kelly Cutrone and the hype around the whole industry at the time. I majored in Mass Communications with a concentration in Public Relations so I figured it would be a great fit. Except, I hated it. I immediately had two regional fashion show organizations under my belt and I absolutely hated it. It just wasn't me. I then proceeded to start a fashion blog called, The Style Scientist. Although my heart really wasn't in it. These were the days when Chiara Ferragni and Song of Style were still new comers. Sometimes I wonder where I would be if I had continued, but I had another more inspiring experiencing that would shape my life forever.

I ended up getting a job at a tech startup.

When I say it was a startup, I don't mean the type of company that has a cool work space with ping-pong tables and young kids in Beats headphones. I mean, we were just starting and I had to go to Ikea to buy my own desk. We had nothing, not even a fully fleshed physical product. I gave up my little company to embark on something completely different in a new industry with a new product at the cusp of the electric vehicle revolution. There hadn't even been an electric vehicle out on the market yet, but my intuition told me I was on to something big.

So I took a bet on myself, closed up shop, took a leap of faith and worked my ass off.

Within 4 years, the company went from a basement startup into a national company, yes - with the cool office space. I was working with electric vehicles and all the major automakers, designing software, apps, even a google glass app. I was representing the company at auto shows and working alongside the CEO. I had amassed so much knowledge and experience. I later moved on to be Head of Marketing at a Managed Cloud Hosting and Data Center company where I learned all about the cloud, cyber security, and software.

My initial decision to change paths rerouted the trajectory of my career and led me to where I am today.

I greatly enjoyed working in tech and marketing was a fantastic outlet for me to be both artistic and analytical. At the young age of 26, I was leading a somewhat successful life to most people. I had a great job, was making six-figures, was traveling often and making a name for myself. Except, my intuition was nagging at me to strike out on my own again. This time, it would be to start a digital marketing agency uniquely positioned towards tech companies with a media arm where I could inspire, motivate and empower women in the workplace. The honest truth is, I had been secretly planning this dream of mine since 2013, but I truly didn't have the courage to do it until 2016 after I had carefully planned, saved and discussed it with my husband.

Now that I am where I am, it seems the perfect time to fully integrate myself as the public face of Les Naly. This decision did not come easy and still, at times, sits uneasily on me. I am a very private person by nature. I'm also incredibly shy. I like to think of myself as the conductor behind the scenes, fine-tuning the orchestra and collectively guiding a soaring wonderful song. However, I understand the important nature of building a personal presence in a digital world and I want you to know that it's really me behind the scenes giving genuine advice. In this way, I also hope to connect with you more on a personal level.

Therefore, towards the end of this year, and into the new year, you'll start seeing more personal posts, photos and eventually videos of me on the site and on our social media channels.

Fall is here, but we're looking up and ask you to join us along on this journey. If you haven't done so, please follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. Thanks for your continued support and look forward to connecting with you more soon!